Wednesday, July 25, 2007

CBS13) FOLSOM, Calif. The mild weather this past winter is causing extremely low water levels at one Northern California lake. The conditions at Folsom Lake are not what boaters are used to during the summer. It's forcing some drastic measures.

One by one boats are pulling out of Folsom Lake.

Just 3-weeks into July, lake levels are half of what they were a year ago and still dropping by 9-inches a day. The 675 boats docked at the Browns Ravine Marina have until August first to pull-up anchor.

“We pay for 12-months out of the year to use it for recreation and unfortunately we have to pull out after just 3-months in the water,” says boat owner Valarie Coons.

There isn't much choice; a month from now the marina will likely be sitting on dry ground. The driest snow pack since 1988 has left the lake without the one thing it needs most - water.

"We would've like to have gone way into September. We knew it was be a dry year we just didn't know it was going to be this dry,” says harbor master Ken Christensen.

Folsom Lake is also a reservoir providing water for drinking, power generation, and agriculture. But the lake is so parched the allocation to Central Valley farmers has been cut by 50%. The Santa Clara Valley Water District is going to have to take less too, about 15% less.

Many lakes in northern California are likely to experience lower water levels; but few like Folsom Lake.

This blog is part of the ongoing work of the American River Parkway Preservation Society to provide public education and advocacy around public policy issues that may be related to the Parkway and the adjacent communities along the American River in Sacramento, California.